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Project Database Brainstorm (updated 10/31/07)
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Neverending Project:
@shock: Drupal may be a great do-all sort of CMS, I don't have any experience with it. But looking through it's site (and the other examples you listed), would it take a similar amount of programming and time to get it set up the way we want? (That is a question, not a dismissive remark).

@XyloSesame: Yes, originally it was a hand-coded pet project. But, as I'm sure you all know, those can tend to be overwhelming and sometimes the sheer scope can get in the way of a completed project... Much like a cabinet project, no?

The acceptance of this user base is certainly the most important aspect. If you aren't behind it, it won't get used. If everyone is leaning toward a Drupal type system, then I am sure it can be tweaked enough to bend it toward our specific needs. On the other hand, if it is a hand-coded project it may miss some of the bigger-picture features like expandability or modularity.

Discussion is good. Do you have any examples of Drupal-based sites similar to our needs? My thought was a site where the users enter their own cabinets. This way the data will always be up-to-date. You are thinking of a site where an administrator(s) enter the data that a user submits, right? One is more of a peer site, the other is more of a gallery.
kelemvor:
I think we should start this by hashing out ideas and seeing what people want and expect from an  update/replacement for the Examples page.  That way we all know where we're starting from and extra things can be added over time.

Here's my initial thoughts.

Users would have a login (preferably it'd link to the forums and use that) so that updates and things can be input later but only by the right person.

User enters their own information including uploading at least one picture of their finalized cab.  This picture would be on a main screen in case the user hosts their own site somewhere that eventually goes away as most do.

User would then pick various options from a predefined set to best describe their cab.  These would then be used for searching/filtering when other people want to view what's available.  Possible items would be:
cocktail, upright, driving, etc
LCD monitor, CRT monitor, TV, arcade monitor
choices for screen size
control panel options
etc

User could then enter as much or little data as they want to into the database.  Could be complete construction notes with pictures, commentary, etc.  Could just be a link to their own site which has the data, etc.  A built in photo gallery option would be nice.  Pictures could be uploaded (better for archiving but take up space) or linked to (no space or and width but could disappear at a later date.

Outside users would be able to browse the various cabinets that were input.  They should be able to filter/search for things based on as many of few of all the things listed up above.  The MUST HAVE for me is that the results would show a thumbnail picture of the finished cabs based on the picture uploaded by the user.  Or at least there would have to be a checkbox that I can choose to show the picture if I want to and others could choose not to if they have a crappy internet connection.

Then I could refine my results or just browse around and see what's out there.

Well, those are the main things I have off the top of my head. 

@Neverending, maybe start a list of specific features up in the OP that you can add things to or remove things from based on other people's responses so we have one master list.

Thanks.
Jimbo:
To add to kelemvor's suggestions: -

I'd like to be able to tag the project that I upload... for example I could tag it like so:  red, luminous, frankenpanel, leds, tall, etc.   Tags can be browsed just like the other filtered info.

As I mentioned before: user ratings, maybe star-ratings for example.  You could rate on such things as cp design, innovation, wow/bling factor, craftsmanship, artwork etc.

Definitely have a "last updated" field for the user's project page.

Definitely integration to the forum... perhaps a dedicated place to link to your dedicated project thread.

I'm all for hosting as much as poss in one location to prevent dead links.  For links to external pages, its quite easy these days to automate a broken/dead link checker. Perhaps broken links should be reported to the project owners giving them a chance to fix them, then after a while they get removed if no success.

Maybe the ability to embed youtube (or other) videos would be cool too.

Well there's a few ideas from me for now. :)
headkaze:
I have a few ideas relating to this as I've managed CMS sites before as well as got dirty with PHP, Perl, HTML, Javascript etc. So I'd be happy to help out in my spare time. I would probably be best suited at helping design/layout/scripting/tools as I have worked in web design, scripting and programming for a number of years.

Here are some ideas I'd like to put to the table.

- Convert the existing database over to a new database so that existing project submissions will be available to search. Add some extra fields Eg. Uploading a picture of your project (maybe even a gallery). This would probably require a program written to convert the existing database over to a new database format (as a coder I can possibly help write this migration tool).

- Make the data updatable and maintainable, so that if a website changes or they add LED's to their project, for example, it can be updated in their Project table. The best way to do this would be to link the forum user database with the project database.

- A mod for SMF such as Custom Profile Filed Mod would be sufficient (although the ability to upload an image or a picture gallery mod would also need to be added). Looking at the current Add Project page this looks relatively simple to do in it's current form.

- On a bigger scale the SMF forum could be merged into a CMS like Mambo or Xoops! where custom modules could be written to handle the project submissions and maintenance using a single username/password from the forum. This would require a test area on the server where everything is set up then the forum is merged into the new CMS.

For simplicity sake I think something along the lines of the "Custom Profile Field Mod" could be a quick and easy way to add project submissions into the SMF database. Add a custom search feature (so you can search via Cocktail/Upright/Jukebox etc) and image upload/browsing and that would be a good place to start.
shock_:
This is all sounding rather exciting.  :applaud:

@Neverending Project: 
Re Drupal config versus coding - at first glance a lot of the actual functionality could be done without coding (someone who knows how to configure Drupal would be good though) - except integration with SMF (and/or the Wiki), and HTML/CSS for theming, if it needed to look different to a standard / generic Drupal skin - but since SMF and Wiki are default skins I'm guessing this isn't too important.

I knew I should have shoved a relevant example in - but didn't have one to hand!  Here's one from a quick Google that seems similarish.  Swap "workout" for "cabinet" and use your imagination.

http://www.gimme20.com/

@headkaze:
I think there may be enough fields in the new schema that don't exist in the old that an automated database migration might only get us 20% of the way there, and might take you (or someone) more time to build than it's worth?  Especially given the opportunity for culling dead records which may have to be done manually.

@everyone:
The featureset for this app is starting to move forward quite rapidly.  Although I came out punching for Drupal initially, there are heaps of tools that can do the job, and some of those people here will have loads of experience with them - certainly not to be underestimated!

I think before this gets too much further progressed some organisation should occur -- who is going to condense and maintain the requirements list?  Who is going to architect the front- and back-ends?   And who is going to manage its completion? 
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